Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Hiatal Hernia
A hiatal hernia is a condition in which the upper part of your stomach bulges through an opening in your diaphragm. Your diaphragm is the thin muscle that separates your chest from your abdomen. Your diaphragm helps keep acid from coming up into your esophagus. When you have a hiatal hernia, it's easier for the acid to come up. This leaking of acid from your stomach into your esophagus is called GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease). GERD may cause symptoms such as :
- Heartburn
- Problems swallowing
- A dry cough
- Bad breath
- Nausea and/or vomiting
- Breathing problems
- The wearing away of your teeth
Often, the cause of a hiatal hernia is unknown. It may have to do with weakness in the surrounding muscles. Sometimes the cause is an injury or a birth defect. Your risk of getting a hiatal hernia goes up as you age; they are common in people over age 50. You are also at higher risk if you have obesity or smoke.
People usually find out that they have a hiatal hernia when they are getting tests for GERD, heartburn, chest pain, or abdominal pain. The tests may be a chest x-ray, an x-ray with a barium swallow, or an upper endoscopy.
You don't need treatment if your hiatal hernia does not cause any symptoms or problems. If you do have symptoms, some lifestyle changes may help. They include eating small meals, avoiding certain foods, not smoking or drinking alcohol, and losing weight. Your health care provider may recommend antacids or other medicines. If these don't help, you may need surgery.
It sits within Digestive System.
The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Hiatal Hernia
96 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- GORE® ENFORM Biomaterial Product StudyW.L.Gore & Associates
- Laparoscopic Nissen Versus Toupet Fundoplication for Hiatal Hernia.Sofia Med Hospital
- Esophagogastric Junction Distensibility During Hiatal Hernia RepairWake Forest University Health Sciences
- Antireflux Surgery Without Preoperative Esophageal ManometryMcMaster University
- Image-Guided Herniorrhaphy StudyUniversity of California, Davis
- Recurrence Rate After Laparoscopic Repair of Large Hiatal HerniaProf Urs Zingg
Research already completed
- Improving Pain Control in Paraesophageal Hernia Repair: Intravenous Lidocaine Versus PlaceboWake Forest University Health Sciences
- Laparoscopic Toupet's Fundoplication: Is it Proper Solution of Radiological Negative, Endoscopically Positive Hiatal Hernia PatientsMinia University
- Development and Validation of Virtual Laparoscopic Hiatal Hernia SimulatorUniversity of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
- Reducing Postoperative Opioids in Patients Undergoing Laparoscopic Hiatal HerniaEndeavor Health
- SurgiMend Mesh at the HiatusKettering Health Network
- Laparoscopic Hiatal Hernia Repair With Mesh CruroplastyZagazig University
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Learn More
- Acid Reflux (GER and GERD) in AdultsNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
- Barium SwallowNational Library of Medicine
- Find a Gastroenterologist (GI Doctor)American College of Gastroenterology
- Hiatal Hernia (Diagnosis and Treatment)Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Hiatal Hernia (Symptoms and Causes)Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Hiatal hernia repair - series -- Normal anatomyMedical Encyclopedia
- Upper GI -- Esophagram -- Barium SwallowRadiological Society of North America
- Upper GI EndoscopyNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
- Upper GI SeriesNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Hernia, HiatalNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Hernia, Hiatal. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Hiatal Hernia, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.